Happy Birthday - Pony Express!
The Pony Express began
on April 3, 1860 and ended in October 1861, only 18 months in existence. A short time when you think of all the
Western movies and books that have been produced and written on the subject.
The Pony Express started in St. Joseph, Missouri. It was
spurred by the threat of the Civil War and the need for faster communication
with the West. Letters were sent under cover from the East to St. Joseph and
never directly entered the U.S. Mail system. That mail and others were carried
from St. Joseph by relays of men riding horses, carrying saddlebag, across the 2000-mile
trail. The riders followed the Oregon Trail and the California Trail to Fort
Bridges in Wyoming. They crossed the Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, and High
Sierras to Sacramento, California. The trip took 10 days.
The Pony Express to California was vital for tying California
closely with the Union just before the Civil War. At the same time, beginning
on April 3, 1860, the Pony Express went Eastbound from San Francisco and arriving
10 days later in St. Joseph, Missouri. The cost of a letter was $5 per ½ ounce,
an exorbitant price for those days. By the end, the price had dropped to $1.00
per ½ ounce. There are very few examples of surviving Pony Express mail today.
One bit of information I found said there were approximately 250 known letters
held mostly by collectors and museums.
Now you know all you
need to know about the Pony Express. I hope you will express your happy
birthday wishes today to the Pony Express.
P.S. Many of you probably know all about the Pony Express,
but do you know the story of the Bare Foot Mailman? I do and I’ll write about it soon. Stay
tuned.
By Lois Jamieson
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